Lessons In Emunah

It’s lately become a family joke. During the course of a day, something occurs that touches me. My kids see the wheels turning in my head and ask, teasingly, if I have another idea for one of my columns. It can be a simple kindness, or it can be one of the miracles that Hashem has wrought for us.

He continued with his barrage of insults, which The Jewish Press surely would find unfit to print, and this was in front of the whole congregation. Thousands of men became silent, trying to understand what Reb Chaim did to deserve such treatment.

My husband of 40 years is always ready to help people. He is also very kind to his family and is always eager to embark on a family outing. However, he has one stipulation. He would rather not drive long distances at night, as he has had challenging experiences driving in the dark in fog, rain and other inclement weather.

For the past 10 years, I have been privileged to be part of a women's Tehillim group in Jerusalem. Every Shabbat, we meet and divide Sefer Tehillim (the Book of Psalms). We pray for the safety of our soldiers, for Eretz Yisrael, and for those injured in terrorist attacks. We also bring our individual lists of people in need of Divine assistance. We pray for women waiting to become mothers, for singles waiting to meet their spouses, for sick people waiting for good health, and for soldiers waiting to come home.

The Israeli sun was beautiful as it slowly descended in the horizon, but I could not enjoy it as I usually would have.

He hadn’t even bothered to think of a plausible excuse as to why they had suddenly found a spare Seder dish and he hoped they wouldn’t ask him any questions.

How would Liat and her husband cope with this double bris over Rosh Hashanah? Who would help them?

Sometimes we are inspired by the simple sweet kindness and patience of a total stranger.

The day finally came, and with great anticipation and joy, both Einat and her husband went to the hospital.

Did I mention that my daughter-in-law has seemingly unlimited excess energy, and is one of the best cooks and bakers I know?

Four times every Shabbos, while they were growing up, each child (and now grandchildren as well) are referred to by their full name. This turned out to be an especially good idea for several of our grandchildren who were known only by their second name.

The land of Israel's holiness features four cities that are singled out as exceptionally holy, and which are imbued with special qualities. I have had the good fortune to visit all four - Hebron, Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed - if only for a short time. Each of these cities is associated with a particular kind of holiness, corresponding to the four basic elements: Jerusalem - fire; Hebron - earth; Tiberias - water; and, my favorite, Safed - air.

Baruch Hashem all worked out well and they are doing both fine recuperating now.

There didn’t seem any point in having the diamonds removed and each of us taking one; what would we do with it?

Have you ever been to an upsherin, a hair-cutting ceremony? I had never been to one until I was invited by my gentleman friend, Sy, to attend one in honor of his great-grandson, Gabriel, given by his grandparents, Steve and Robin Kerzer. Even Sy, an Orthodox Jew, had not heard of it. Both of us knew it was the custom not to cut a boy’s hair until he was three years old, but we had no idea what was involved.

“Daddy,” I exclaimed, “Is this how you daven?” Daddy’s response was a hearty laugh. I felt so proud of myself.

I knew the exact address was one of three buildings. I would just look for this unique family name on those three buildings’ entrances and I would find where to go. But just at that moment my mind froze, and I couldn’t think what that unique name was.

David was surprised at the downright refusal, but he didn’t lose hope. He set out to another vendor and another vendor and another…

She was the first-born and by all accounts, quite brilliant. In the early 1900's, her father, Choni (Papa) had preceded his family to the shores of America to find a better life for the family he left behind in Europe. As with so many of his landsmen, he planned to send for his family when he found a livelihood and a decent place to live. Yet his wife, Ita, (Mama) had other ideas.

As crazy as it sounds, we never met face-to-face until we discovered that on the same Shabbos, she would be visiting her daughter in Monsey while I would be attending my grandson’s bar mitzvah.

I told her not to do anything or say anything and I immediately called Rabbi Gerlitzky, the Lubavitcher Rebbe's shaliach in Tel Aviv and a dear friend of the family. I told him the story.

When I sat down, this is what I was about to type. However, there in front of me, on the screen, was a post on our local community email forum stating: “Leaving for Har Nof at 5 p.m. Does anyone need a ride?”

It was 1 a.m. when my daughter Shani and her friend Tehilla took a wrong turn and found themselves traveling along a dark, isolated stretch of road outside Jerusalem. A few moments later, they noticed a young bearded man dressed in a suit and black hat flagging them down. Tehilla was surprised when Shani abruptly stopped the car. Tehilla tried to dissuade Shani from giving the young man a ride, given the late hour.

I remembered the years of bringing up six teenage daughters. Of course they weren’t all teenagers at the same time but sometimes it definitely felt like it.

Time went by and one day Yaacov had pain in his abdomen, the same type of pain that he had before his operation. He thought and hoped that maybe it would pass, so he waited.

It was an exceptionally hot and humid day in Toronto. I was driving the car with my bubbie sitting next to me, and baby Shmueli in the back. I suddenly remembered that I needed a small item at the local supermarket. I gently asked my bubbie if she would stay in the car with the baby while I ran into the store. My bubbie warmly replied, "Go, my shefele [sweetheart]."

It was Erev Pesach, three hours before Yom Tov. I was at the checkout counter at the local supermarket. The gentleman in front of me was trying to pay his $48 bill. I noticed that he gave the clerk a credit card that was declined. He offered a second credit card, with the same result. The saleswoman then asked the young man how he planned to pay, to which he sheepishly replied, "May I write a check?"

Hashem has put me in the right place at the exact time. It was a true miracle.

I was dumbstruck. I couldn’t help but laugh. Here we thought the idea was my husband’s but obviously the idea came from somewhere else.

One of the triples proudly showed me his growing collection of stones he scavenged in the empty lots nearby. Each stone has its own story.